The Prince and the Slave: Book Three

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

William could see Abey trying hard to let the fear or panic show, but he could also see the way her whole body was starting to shake, her eyes pleading and terrified.

He felt his own body start to shake as a boiling anger started to build inside him. He dived down, grabbing his sword from the satchel on the ground next to him and pointing it at Jameson's head, taking a step forward.

"Now, now, Your Highness. Not so fast." Jameson scolded lightly, pressing the sword closer to Abey's neck, a whimper escaping her lips. "You should be careful with that, you'll have your eye out." He commented, as if talking to a small child.

"Let her go." William said quietly, furiously containing the urge to run at the villain that instant. "Let her go!" He said more forcibly when Jameson didn't reply, taking another step forward.

"What did I just say?" He chided, pressing the sword even closer to Abey's throat, the blade now in danger of breaking the skin, her chin forced upwards as she tried to move away from the cold metal, another whimper coming from her lips.

"Sh, now. You're alright." Jameson whispered to her comfortingly. "As long as his Highness here does exactly as he's told, you'll be absolutely fine." Abey screwed up her eyes as he placed a gentle kiss on the side of her head. "Of course, if he doesn't," he added, turning to William once more, "Then who knows what will happen." He said darkly, William feeling his stomach twist.

"What do you want?" William asked bluntly, his sword still pointed at the man holding Abey.

"Not so much what I WANT, but what I will GET." Jameson started conversationally, never letting his sword leave Abey's throat or loosening his hold on her. "The whole Kingdom is looking for you, you know. Just think how happy the King and Queen will be when I tell them I've finally found you, hiding out in a Forest in Tracoria. Think how they will reward me when I return their precious son to them, I'm sure I'll be handsomely paid." He smirked, then lowering his voice and turning his gaze to Abey. "Or maybe I'll just ask to keep the girl. I'm very fond of her, you know." He purred, before dipping his head down and kissing her neck.

Abey felt like she was being thrown into a pit of flames, memories and nightmares flooding through her mind. She was barely thinking as they overwhelmed her, her body acting on it's accord as she brought her heel down onto his foot and crashed her elbow into his ribs, causing the hand holding the sword to her neck to jolt away from her as he cried in pain.

Before she could get away, the arm wound itself back around her neck, putting her in a headlock so she couldn't move. She quickly opened her mouth and bit down on the exposed flesh of his forearm, turning whatever remark that was about to leave his lips into an even more savage, painful cry.

She quickly flung herself out of his arms and stood panting a few feet away from him, now frozen as he turned to her, nursing his arms and advancing on her.

"I'll teach you, filthy, common WHORE!" He yelled menacingly, raising his arm and striking her hard across the face with handle of his sword, the heavy golden orb on the end smashing into her temple, closely missing her eye, the force sending her flying to the ground, her vision blurred as he punched her face again, before kicking her violently in the stomach.

It had all happened so quick William hadn't had time to react. One second Abey had been fighting Jameson off, the next she was on the floor as he beat her. Without a second thought William ran forward, a savage cry issuing from his mouth as he charged towards Jameson's back.

Jameson heard just in time, and was able to turn around just before the Prince's sword reached him, managing to swing his sword to block the attack, before attacking himself, lunging forward and forcing William backwards nearer to the centre of the clearing. The fight going on for several minutes, each man attacking and blocking in equal measure, Abey still lying on the floor, her eyes closed and able to hear the distant sound of swords clashing together over the white noise filling her ears.

William and Jameson both stopped for a moment, panting as they stood glaring at each other, slowly circling around, waiting for the other to make the next move.

"How did you find us?" William broke the silence, wanting to understand why of all the people and all the places, Sir Jameson just happened to be in the middle of a Tracorian Forest.

"I've been following you since Hollinwood. I saw you at the Markets, then sneaking through the streets in the dead of night. I thought it would be wise to see where you were going. And then I guessed you were headed for Tracoria so decided to get here first and wait for you arrive." He explained.

"Why?" William asked. "Why follow us? Why not turn us in then and there?"

"Because it wouldn't have served me as well. I've been following you, patiently waiting for the right time to make my move." He smirked.

"That doesn't answer my question. Why have you followed us here?" William growled.

Jameson didn't reply straight away, instead chuckling to himself, as if at an inside joke. "Do you not realise where we are?" He laughed. "We're in Tracoria! A completely different Kingdom! You have no power here, no influence!" He said, flinging his arms out to the side joyously. "I can kill you here and there's nothing anyone can do about it. The Tracorians won't care, you're not one of them, and you're not on Angrokorian soil, so our laws don't apply." He said quietly, darkness filling his eyes as he slowly raised his sword again. "And besides, this place is fraught with Bandits." He pouted mockingly. "I'm sure I'll be just as handsomely rewarded bringing back a dead Prince as I would a live one."

Jameson dove forward, renewing his attack on the Prince. William dodged just in time to avoid the blade slicing through his chest, and whirled around, countering every attack sent his way.

Soon though, he began to tire, his reactions slowing with every strike of Jameson's sword, while Jameson himself only seemed to become more invigorated to see the Prince's fatigue.

A painful thud sounded on William's shoulder as the handle of his opponent's sword slammed into his collarbone, forcing him to drop his sword and fall to his knees. Jameson smiled as he kicked the Prince's sword away, pointing his own at William's throat and forcing him backwards until he was lying on his back on the ground, swallowing nervously as he eyed the point of sword so close to his neck.

"Tsk, task. How the mighty have fallen." Jameson said pityingly, drawing back his arm, ready to strike the fatal blow.

"Hey!"

He looked around with a frown, which quickly turned into a condoling smile as he slowly shook his head in mild amusement.

Abey had been watching the fight in horror, hating herself for not being able to help or defend William in anyway. In a bid to at least try, she had crawled over to where Jameson had kicked William's discarded sword, and had somehow managed to get unsteadily to her feet, dragging the sword with her. Heavier than she had expected, she was unable to lift it fully off the ground, and was resting on it, swaying slightly. Jameson chuckled as he watched her fall back to the ground, now sat on the floor, her hands still refusing to let go of the sword's handle as it stuck upwards, the blade driven into the soft earth.

Despite her not being able to fight, the sight of her had given William renewed determination to carry on, and her few second distraction was all that he needed. As Jameson laughed at her, William swiftly swung his leg in a circle, kicking the sword out of Jameson's grasp and leaving it lying on the floor several feet away.

William jumped to his feet, raising his arms to hit any part of the man he could find. Momentarily stunned by what had just happened, Jameson quickly came back to his senses and grabbed hold of the Prince's wrists, wrestling them away from him.

Abey was now shouting from the side as the two men closed the distance between them, each battling for dominance.

Suddenly, a whistling sound whizzed past their ears, and William looked up in surprise to find an arrow bedded into the tree just in front of him. Someone had shot an arrow at them.

Another whistled past, narrowly missing Jameson's shoulder as it struck the tree. William turned his head around, searching desperately in the darkness for the archer.

To Abey, everything seemed to slow down, the sounds muting as she watched the action unfold in front of her.
After the second arrow flew through the air, William turned to look for the source, loosening his grip on Jameson's hands in his distraction.

He didn't notice as Jameson quickly reached down to the top of his boot. He didn't notice when he drew out the gleaming, silver knife. He didn't notice as Jameson prepared his arm to strike.

Abey screamed a warning, and William turning to look at her, his eyes changing from concern, to surprise, then to confusion as Jameson sunk the knife deep into his ribs. Pain flooded his face as he grabbed his side and sank to floor, Jameson smirking triumphantly over him.